Wantagh SEPTA invites you to attend a special showing: “Autism: Coming of Age” on Thursday, December 22nd at 7:30 pm in the WMS IMC (located at–3303 Beltagh Avenue Wantagh, NY 11793)

This hour-long documentary provides an inside look at the lives of three young adults with Autism and their families. The documentary focuses

attention on what happens as they move from school age children into adulthood and the issues they and their families face. The making of this

documentary was motivated by the December 2008 “Easter Seals Living with Autism” study that examined the hopes, fears and challenges of

parents raising children with autism. Key areas that will be explored in the documentary include:

Independence and Quality of Life

Financial well-being

Education

Employment and Housing Needs

Health

This will be an enriching and interactive event and will provide answers to many questions that you have, as well as important information on things

that you may not have considered.

The program will be presented by Janice Smith from The Island Financial Group, a general agency of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (Mass Mutual). MassMutual’s exclusive SpecialCareSM program, is an innovative outreach initiative providing access to information, specialists and financial products and services that can help improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and other special needs and their families and caregivers.

Power Pals is teaming up with Manhasset SEPTA to bring a unique fitness program–Meet Me at the Gym! Meet me at the gym, is a fitness program for tweens and teens. The details of the program are below. The important thing to note is that the program is completely funded by Manhasset SEPTA for 6 full weeks. Therefore, the program is free! And, you don’t have to live in the Manhasset school district to sign-up and receive it for free. Spots are limited, so sign up by emailing Manhasset SEPTA directly (information below).

Manhasset SEPTA proudly presents

“MEET ME AT THE GYM”

Adaptive Workout/Training Program

NEW Program for Tweens and Teens!

FREE SIX WEEK PROGRAM
OPEN TO ALL SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS 12y/o and Up!

Held in the Manhasset High School Training Room

SATURDAYS AT 1:30-2:30pm Starting JAN 2012

Dates are 1/7, 1/14, 1/28, 2/4, 2/18, 3/3

Adaptive Trainer Coach Chris of Power Pals creates full gym
workout program including:

Aerobic and Strength Training
How to use gym equipment
Building Muscles and Confidence
Increasing Strength for All Sports
Training with a Workout Partner

Big Buddies and Peer Helper with a high teacher-student ratio!
Maximum of 15 participants

When I first started my blog I posted a segment on the Developmental,Individual Difference, Relationship-based (DIR®/Floortime) model. I recall being mystified but intrigued by theresults I had viewed during an on-line course given by Dr. Greenspan. Following completion of that course and to this day, I utilize the model with my own son diagnosed PDD-NOS.

When I recently heard that the Rebecca School was putting out a casebook on DIR floortime—I had to get my hands on it. As I know you are aware that the Rebecca School is one of the only schools to embrace this model throughout all of their teaching methods. After owning the book just four short days….I’ve finished it! So, here is where I’m at—I landed between “Neurotic New York Mom” Knows Best, and “I love you, now go away.” That’s right…once you read it; you will find yourself relating to so many of the cases. The personal stories in the book are like none other written before. And, those of you that know me well…I can open my own Barnes and Noble-Autism Books ONLY lol. The heartfelt and detailed cases have me wanting to meet the children highlighted in the book. As well as, wanting to learn and implement more DIR with my own son! The practicality of the treatment plans implementedat the Rebecca School had me nodding “yes” throughout the book, and envious at the same time that my son doesn’t attend the school. Lastly, the brilliant excerpts from the late Dr. Greenspan made me feel like I was so lucky to be under his tutelage.

As I mentioned earlier, I was intrigued when I first learned about DIR. After reading this book and feeling so connected with the children highlighted in the cases and hearing the parents’ personal experiences, it now has me—Respecting DIR!

Join us to learn how to overcome your child’s attention issues, impulsivity, or learning disabilities… and help make this your child’s best school year ever!

Is your child having difficulties in school or at home?

Do you suspect he/she may have an attention issue or learning disorder? Has your child has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)?

Are you looking for alternatives to prescription medications to manage attention, impulsivity or performance issues?

Recent advancements in neurofeedback technology have been found to be highly effective in rewiring the ADHD/ADD brain to alleviate associated symptoms. When combined with proper diet and activation, neurofeedback therapy can help your child to control his/her brainwave patterns to bring balance, harmony and regulation to the brain — without drugs or invasive procedures.

Please join me for an informative lecture and taste-testing event on Monday, November 7 to:
• Discover how BrainCore neurofeedback therapy can rewire the brain to transform an unhealthy brainwave pattern into a healthy one.
• See a demonstration of audio and visual stimulation that is used during biofeedback sessions.
• Learn about the effects of food allergies and improper diet on the brain and gastrointestinal tract and how proper diet can alleviate symptoms and improve brain function.
• Sample child friendly, gluten-free and dairy-free foods made by Christine Mitchell, proprietor of Naturally Free Food, Smithtown’s newest gluten-free specialty store.

Neurofeedback therapy can have a significant, long-lasting impact on you child’s life. Studies have shown that for many patients, neurofeedback has successfully reduced or eliminated ADHD symptoms by reversing abnormal brainwave patterns.

We hope to see you on Monday, November 7. Please register early as we are limiting the size of this lecture to provide a more intimate environment for learning and sharing.

Just wanted to share this website www.especialmatch.com A friend of mine told me about it…it’s essentially match.com for the special needs community. The creator of the site came to our SEPTA and provided an overview on the website–very cool. Check it out and join, it’s Free!

This is some info from the site: eSpecialMatch.com is a free social network for individuals and families of children with special needs and disabilities including Autism, Asperger’s, and Down’s Syndrome, as well as neurological, physical, sensory, and emotional issues. Their goal is to connect them with resources, information and support. Our community is also a place where organizations and professionals can share their information, services, events, and expertise.

many of the children will be heading off to summer camp or school. We also know that many of those programs don’t begin until after the 4th and end early before school begins in September. So, during those off days/weeks….why don’t you send your child to fitness camp! We have flexible hours and days to fit your schedule.

Dr. Shana Nichols is currently writing a companion book for pre-teen and teen girls themselves to read titled A Girl’s Guide to Growing Up on the Autism Spectrum. My co-author, Brigid Rankowski, is a college student with AS. This book is under contract with Jessica Kingsley Publishers, and at this time we are looking for short contributions from girls and women.

If you (as an adult on the spectrum), or your daughter would be interested in sharing an experience, or advice related to growing up as a female with an ASD, I would love to hear from you. We are looking for 50-200 word narratives about any topic related to growing up. Some examples include:

– What it’s like being a girl/woman with an ASD

– Puberty

– Having your period; gynecological exams

– Getting a first bra

– Friendships and mean girls; bullying; fitting in

– Eating issues

– Self-esteem and feeling good about yourself

– Being true to who you are

– Mood and anxiety

– Sexuality

– Relationships and dating

– Media, popularity

– Life goals and pursuing your dreams

– Special interests

We are also interested in poetry and possibly art work.

As before, contributions can be anonymous (e.g., “a 16-year-old girl with Aspergers”), or can be attributed by name.

Please contact me at drshananichols@gmail.com for more information or to submit a narrative. A short release of information form from the publishers will need to be signed.

Thank you again for fostering understanding of the experiences of girls and women with ASDs!